Iran accuses US lawmaker Lindsay Graham of 'encouraging Israel to assassinate its nuclear scientists'

Iran has accused prominent US lawmaker Lindsay Graham of calling on Israel to assassinate Iranian nuclear scientists.

Senator Lindsay Graham, widely known for being a hawk on Iran, reportedly told journalists in Jerusalem in February that "a lot of Iranian scientists have had a lot of accidents, and we would expect more accidents to come". 

Tehran’s mission to the United Nations wrote a letter to the UN Security Council calling Graham's remark "atrocious, hateful, and reprehensible".

The letter read: "[It] serves as a green light to the Israeli regime to perpetrate further terrorist acts against Iranian nuclear scientists.

"[It] is a clear breach of the US' international obligations, particularly those under UN resolutions that call on States to prohibit incitement to terrorist acts and refrain from providing any kind of support for terrorist activities."

Israel and other countries believe Iran is working on making a nuclear weapon.

Tehran's accusation comes as diplomats from Iran, the United States and several European powers meet in Vienna to re-negotiate the terms of a nuclear deal.

Israel, one of the US’ staunchest allies, has repeatedly been accused of sabotaging Iran’s nuclear operations, and has reportedly murdered Iranian nuclear scientists in the past.

Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the original deal between Iran and western powers in 2018.

Graham has long been an opponent of the nuclear deal, often echoed Israeli sentiments that Tehran cannot be trusted. He has also urged the US to act militarily against Iran.

In February, Graham compared the Iranian regime to Nazi Germany, saying: “The Nazis wanted a master race, and the Iranians want a master religion. People like that cannot be ignored.”

Senataor Graham's office has not responded to The New Arab's request for comment.